Rajnath Singh criticises Telangana govt over minority quota

Hyderabad: Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh Thursday criticised the TRS government in Telangana over its proposal to increase reservation to minorities, accusing the ruling party of talking about quotas to divert public attention.

"Development not done. Now to divert public attention, (they) are saying that reservation be given to minorities on the basis of religion," he said addressing a BJP campaign meeting at Wanaparthy for the December 7 polls.

By cutting into whose reservation the TRS proposes to give quotas to the minorities, he said.

"I want to ask, if you give reservation to minorities, by cutting whose reservation you will give reservation to minorities ? Such a provision is there in Constitution? Can amendment be made to Constitution?," Singh said.

The Telangana legislature had last year passed a Bill enhancing the reservations for Muslims to 12 per cent.

TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has been critical of the NDA government for not giving consent to the state's bill.

Singh said politics should be for development and good governance and not for caste or religion.

"I would like to tell the CM here... Politics should be development and good governance. Not about caste, creed, religion," he said.

He advised Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu that politics should be done not just for formation of government but "to build the country".

The Home Minister said Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were not developing and the problems between the two states were not getting resolved due to the "absence of strong political will" on the part of the governments though there was no shortage of natural and human resources.

The NDA government provided Rs 1.15 lakh crore to Telangana through the 14th Finance Commission in contrast to Rs 16,597 crore during the UPA rule, he said asking why the state was not developing and poverty had not been eliminated.

Under the NDA government, the country was among the fastest growing economies in the world, he said.

Singh assured that BJP would waive Rs two lakh farm loans if it came to power in the state.